As planets went, it was hardly impressive.

Initial sensors scans detected vast tracks of marsh like terrain. By all accounts, it was estimated to be hot, moist and bleak, like the rainforests everyone tried to save but no one wanted to visit. The science officer studied the readings from the computer console and knew instantly that life existed in vast quantities. Most surveyed worlds had yielded little more than bacterial organism, nothing to inspire anyone except some egghead who lived his life staring through a microscope.

The planet would have gone completely unnoticed by humans and the galaxy in general if the commercial cruiser Iago had not developed engine failure. Bio National’s procedures regarding such an event taking place were specific. In the even that stasis was in danger of compromise, the said vessel would immediately awaken all crew members. Computers as formidable as they were, could not be trusted to handle such a crisis.

The emergency that brought the crew of the Iago was nothing out of the ordinary despite the danger of the situation. The computer logged a malfunction in the cruiser’s star drive and following its programming, revived the crew from stasis to repair the problem. Eight sleepers rose from the induced state of coma, confused by their abrupt awakening but grateful that they were awake at all when they discovered the nature of the emergency. It was not unheard of to remain trapped in the coffins like stasis tubes, drifting across the galaxy forever entombed in glass.

The repairs were conducted in record time and departure to leave became eminent in a number of hours. It was until the science officer made the discovery of the planet wedged uncomfortably between the orbit of two binary stars. Its proximity to each afforded an abundant explosion of life on the surface of the green gold planet. From space it looked like an orb covered in decomposing moss, hardly the stuff to inspire the imagination. Nevertheless current directives of the United Nations of Earth required a formal expedition be launched for a quick survey of the planetary ecosystem.

The Captain of the ship was unhappy to be snared in this often forgotten tenet of his contract, however, he was unwilling to risk the forfeiture of payload by ignoring the policy, however inconvenient to him. His reservations were due in part to the extended time it would place on their return journey and the fact that his crew were mining surveyors, not the research scientists that would be necessary for a survey mission of this nature.

There was also an unspoken fear which he revealed to no one but as a man responsible for the people under him, undoubtedly possessed. No human had set down on this world before and space was filled with a dozen things that could kill just as easily as it looked at you. He disliked sending his people into the unknown, no matter what the UNE felt about first contact. Nothing that they had encountered in almost three hundred years of space travel had ever turned out to be friendly or sentient for that matter.

Nevertheless, he kept such worries to himself and authorised the mission, selecting from his crew on the basis of expertise, who would be best suited for the surface landing. Most of them were enthusiastic about the prospect of playing explorers. His executive was thrilled by the idea, as well as his science officer who was eager to see in person what had tantalised her so greatly by mere sensor scan readings.

A party of four out of the 8 crew members of the Iago was selected to go. The captain requiring to stay on board while he send friends and colleagues into the fray, cursing deeply at the bureaucrat who emerged with the policy of keeping captains in their ships at all time. The others monitored the progress of the mission with intense scrutiny, lingering at the communication centre of the ship, watching the external view afforded by the in built cameras of their colleague’s environmental suit.

The five set down the small shuttle in a patch of earth that seemed to be one of the very few solid masses of land in the entire planet. If the camera’s were correct, the planet was hot, moist and humid with a denser oxygen content that most humans were accustomed. Foolishly, someone decided to remove their helmets, opting to test first hand if the air was breathable.

It was.

However, mobility across this terrain was another thing entirely. The ecosystem was little more than an extended marsh that swept across the entire planet. The survey team was immediately beset with problems of transportation as they struggled over the swamp like landscape. As the mission had been unexpected, there was no equipment available to traverse such terrain.

The Captain was almost pleased to hear the news and instructed the survey team to make a quick investigation of what was accessible to them and before ordering them back to the Iago. Although there was every reason for an abundance of her life, the survey crew detected nothing of note. There were the usual night crawlers, some interesting forms of reptile life but nothing larger than a small dog roamed this unyielding terrain. Of course, it was impossible to say what lay beneath the grey muck of the swamp but the sensor equipment detected nothing as well.

It bothered the Captain more than he liked to admit and was almost relieved when the allotted time for the expedition passed and finally the last day arrived. Unfortunately at the 11^th hour, his intrepid science officer detected something that had so far remained hidden during previous searches. From his monitor screen on the ship, it looked almost like a structure. Slapped together and held fast by some form of biological resin, the construct was built of any material that was available. Bones, wood, leaves and rocks were amalgamated into a dome not unlike the insect colonies of earth with one notable exception. The creators of the dome were not ants.

The structure was big enough to accommodate several hundred human beings even though the survey team could see no entry point other than narrow fissures that ran along the sides.

It could belong to an evolving child race, the science officer had reported back enthusiastically, for the structure definitely showed signs of sentience in its unusual architecture. The captain was unhappy when the science officer lead the team to investigate but once again, could see no reason to object. Armed with good intentions and scientific curiosity, the procession made its way to the inside of the dome.

As the team approached the object, the captain watched in growing apprehension as the dome loomed closer in the screen. He did not know why but it seemed sinister in a way he could not pin point and while the others around him burned with curiosity, he fought the urge to order the survey crew to withdraw.

The pandemonium that followed once the team had breached the walls of the fortress was beyond even his worst imaginings. The inside of the dome was unlike anything he had ever seen. It felt as if they had walked into living innards of some huge creature. It was moist and damp, with noisome fluids running thickly against the oddly shaped walls that appeared to have protrusions running across the length of like the giant veins pulsating with their own version of life.

Immediately, the group had began to sense some of the danger that he had been feeling through this entire mission and caution became the word of the hour as they proceeded deeper inside the maw of darkness. There was an odour, the science officer had reported of dead and rotting things that gave off a rank stench that made them grateful to be wearing environmental suits that filtered the oxygen through their breathing masks.

The initial chamber of the dome was unsettling enough with its stygian atmosphere of shadows everywhere. When they penetrated another inner chamber, the captain knew it was time to leave. What lay inside seemed something out of a nightmare. Half the survey team was soon doubled over, some having torn off their helmets, daring to brave the foul stench out of the air, just so they could retch. Those watching from the Iago were spared that indignity but no one spoke and everyone appeared ashen with horror.

The captain had seen many things during his time. Some had left him wonder, others in sorrow and regret, what he saw within the chamber could only be described as black horror, unyielding and complete. The tapestry of bodies forced into place, trapped against the walls in a rictus of pain and agony stretched across their alien faces was a sight he knew would follow him to the grave. They lay trapped in clear resin against the walls on any surface that could hold them in place. It answered the question on the fate of the large organism in this desolate ecosystem.

Each one had died terribly, their torsos a grisly work of broken bone and ruined flesh, gaping holes that trailed rotting entrails. Whatever had caused such horrific and ultimately fatal injuries could not be ascertain for it seemed as if the hapless victims had exploded from the inside. The survey team was too horrified too move when they realised the stick wetness they had been treading on upon entry into the chamber was most likely the decomposing organs of the guests in the macabre gallery.

The most disconcerting of all were the empty pods that lay open before them. In front of every carcass, no matter how decomposed or maimed in form, the leather like objects were present. They opened like a twisted version of a blossoming flower, full of gelatinous substance that had no doubt given sustenance to whatever lay within. They littered the floor of the chamber, almost in reverence to each one of the dead that had been captured in this strange lair.

It was the science officer who discovered the creatures. They were lying on the ground just as dead as everything else in the chamber. For a minute they looked like hands with too many fingers, spindly and covered in caking resin that held them in place where they had died. The reasons for their demise were not so easy to discern. There were no injuries or signs of violence. It appeared as if they had simply stopped and ended themselves. It was a mystery as unnerving as everything in this awful place.

The captain had seen enough at this point and ordered the group to withdraw. This time, there were no protests or arguments for scientific exploration. The science officer who was visibly shaken by what they had discovered revealed a fear that no amount of scientific detachment could erase. The survey team proceeded out the way they came, moving faster than they had in entering the chamber when suddenly proximity sensors started screaming in alert.

Multiple signals began appearing in their tracking devices. From the Iago, the large sensor sweep of the facility allowed the Captain to helplessly watch as more thirty new life forms started closing in on the team. That was the first wave and those on the Iago could do nothing more than watch helplessly while screaming desperate orders to survey team within the dome to get out while they could. The warning more or less fell on deaf ears as the team began to descend into panic of the prey that understood that it was being hunted.

From their internal cameras, the Captain could see nothing except vague shapes and sounds of slithering in the dark. There were visible shifts in the air, slight movements that were almost shadowy in their consistency. He could see some of it but not all and it terrified him more than an enemy he could see. There was nothing tangible in the obscure veil of mist that seemed to fill the chamber when the danger started to present itself. Yet the motion detectors clearly showed the signs of the impending peril.

The screams followed no long after.

With stomach clenched in rising horror and anguish, the captain was forced helpless to sit by and watch the phantoms on the sensor console come to life with terrifying intensity. The were fast and they final. There were screams of pure terror, followed by a glint of sharp teeth and a screeching sound that was unearthly as it was blood curdling. Each screech would follow or precede a very human scream that signalled the end of the survey team. Life sign readings started to flat line, some becoming so faint that the injury sustained must have been severe for the victim was almost comatose.

The captain was preparing the second shuttle for launch even before the first screams were heard but knew that he would never reach them in time. On that point at least he had been correct. The attack was over in five minutes, leaving nothing but static where there used to be images and that voices to accompanied it. They had seen almost nothing of the things that had attacked the crew with devastating force.

The second team consisted of Iago’s last remaining crew members. Analysis of the tapes from the viewing cameras of the survey crew yielded little answers. Whatever they were facing appeared before the survey crew as little more than fast moving shadows that savage and vicious in their attacks. No one spoke out loud that the probabilities were high that the primary team was dead.

The captain cared little for such things even if he had paid attention. All that he could see at the moment was the safe retrieval of his lost crew members, ignoring the real chance that they were already dead and the rescue attempt was a wasted effort. The second team landed on the planet armed with light armour piercing weapons and every intention of using them.

Meanwhile, the Iago sat in space waiting for their return.

It would remain trapped in orbit for two years.

Chapter One

I

She should not be doing this.

Technically, she was still attached to the Marine Corp but when the new replacement to the UNE Security Division contacted her and asked her to undertake this mission, Maia Sanjay found it hard to resist. After all, she had spent almost six months in the corp and while she was surprised to admit she found the blunt force attack praticised by the military enjoyable, Maia missed the subtle infiltration of a perfectly covert operation.

She had sat on top of the roof for almost two hours now, glancing at her watch to see that it was almost five minutes to midnight. Most of New York was currently congregated in Times Square, preparing for the coming of the New Year. The rich elite who believed themselves above the need for such common entertainment, were gathered in their plush apartments, celebrating with champagne and caviar.

In about an hour, she was due to meet Kevin MacReady, her Sargent and sometimes more at the party held at Corporal Tim Addison’s parents Long Island home with most of the Marines in attendance. As their Captain, her presence was expected and Maia had no intention of disappointing the men and women who served under her command. In the last year, she was surprised by how much the group had come to mean to her. She never thought she could come to care so much about a bunch of grunts since she was strictly from an intelligence background.

Nevertheless the missions had come and gone and they relied on her expertise with a confidence that was not only surprising but also strangely fulfilling. After her disillusionment with the UNE, the Marine of the Sparta had been wonderful for her morale, not to mention how she felt about her Sargent.

MacReady had been the biggest complication when she accepted the rank of Captain and agreed to play double jeopardy by retaining her UNE officer status at the same time. Their relationship had never been strictly professional, not since the moment she first stepped on board the Sparta to partake in that first mission. The attraction between them had been so strong that she was surprised that any man could effect her so profoundly. Not only was he incredibly handsome, with steel coloured eyes that seemed to pierce straight through the skin when he aimed his intense gaze at anyone, he seemed to enjoy getting the better of her.

Maia had stayed away since assuming command of his platoon, keeping him at arm’s length because a relationship between them was sure to get in the way of the job. MacReady had not liked it but he understood her reasoning, realising that it was necessary for both their sakes to keep each other at a distance. Lately, however, Maia had been questioning that choice. She wanted him and she also knew she was disciplined enough to keep an intimate relationship and a professional relationship apart if she so desired. Maia was forced to endure much worse constraints in her time.

A question for another time, she decided when she looked at her watch again and saw that the seconds were ticking closer to the New Year. Without delaying and longer, she stepped out of the shadows and slowly made her way to the edge as the countdown began in many households and parties below. She could hear voices chanting the last seconds of the year, building almost to a feverish climax as the time drew closer.

The roar seemed to move throughout the building and most likely through all homes and gatherings throughout the city. Taking advantage of the euphoria of those below her, Maia stepped onto the stone palisade and reached for the handle of the pulley that would take her across the building she was on, to the structure on the opposite site of the street. Earlier that evening, she had tethered the line that was linked to a small stake firmly imbedded in concrete and fired its end to the other building where a grappling hook had latched on to the first available ledge Thus she was left with a bridge between the two structures.

As the revelry and debauchery continued to new heights or lows, depending on how one looked at it, Maia began her mission of infiltration. She grabbed on and stepped of the ledge, feeling a sudden whoosh under her as her weight propelled her forward on the small measure of slack provided by the line. She glanced down at the street below as she slid towards her destination and made a note not to let go. There was nothing worse than death by falling into a crowd of drunken people enjoying their street celebration. At the very least, it was going to seriously dampened the mood.

She reached the other building when she saw a wall coming at her and Maia pulled her legs up to stop herself when she reached it. Her feet impacted softly against the concrete surface and allowed her suitable grip to climb over the ledge onto the roof of the building. Like the one she had been on earlier, the roof was empty and quiet. A few birds resting on the ledge had taken flight at her arrival and she bid them farewell with little more than a glance in their direction as they disappeared into the bright, New York Skyline.

Maia ran softly across the rough bitumen paved ground, her eyes scanning the area for anything that might endanger the mission. As expected, the occasion ensured her privacy as she moved across the roof, appearing like a shadow in her black jump-suit and soft soled boots. She carried a knapsack across her back, which contained a few things she might need this evening.

The door to the inside of the building was locked but she had anticipated that. The mechanism was expensive and state of the art. Obviously, the target was not averse to spending good money on security. Maia studied the device for a few seconds, having never seen one of these object before this time, even though she was aware of its existence before she had even stepped onto the roof. Maia had pulled up all the construction plans and blue prints on the building when she had accepted the mission, so she was quite prepared for what she would encounter.

Reaching into her backpack, Maia found the tools she had brought with her to disable the system. It took her no more than a few minutes to bypass the mechanisms trigger device before moving into the innards where more delicate work was required. Finally, the system yielded in defeat as Maia heard a slight click that indicated that the actual locking mechanism had opened for her. Replacing her tools back into her bag, Maia reached for the door handle and twisted gently, poised for trouble if her tampering had failed.

Nothing happened and the door came open in her hand without any further difficulty. She slipped into the darkness of the steps that led downwards into the top floor of the building. The corridor was dark and Maia did not wish to risk alerting anyone to her presence so she slipped a pair of night-vision goggles over her eyes before continuing any further. Immediately, the lenses turned everything before her a shade of green and allowed her full perception of every obstacle before her.

She had expected this floor to be unoccupied since the party was taking place in the middle and lower floors of the building. As the upper floor consisted of mainly of bedrooms and the target’s study, there was little reason to keep the lights on less to discourage guests that might choose to wander up here by mistake. This suited Maia fine as she descended into the hallway. Although the lack of illumination indicated there was no one on the floor with her, Maia preferred not to take the chance and waited for a few seconds before emerging from her hiding place near the steps to the roof.

Maia knew precisely where she intended to go as she ran softly down the carpeted hallway, the soft pile of the fabric beneath her feet dampening the sound of her movements until she reached the open door of the study. Stepping inside the room, Maia scanned the space with its shelves of books that covered almost every wall and the expensive mahogany desk that set in the corner. Taking no chances, she closed the door behind her and locked it for good measure.

The target was a man called Lenard. He was a member of the Security Council of the UNE, representing the United States. Lately, the State Department of that country had been reporting a number of security leaks in relation to government contracts and a particular company that had been able to undercut many of its competitors with uncannily low bids. With the end of Weyland Yutani and the formation of Bio National, there was still large void left by the demise of the all powerful company which had held the monopoly on the economy of the planet for so long.

Would be contenders had rushed into the fray attempting to take up lucrative business opportunities and one of these that had risen to prominence was a company called Paragon. Part of Paragon’s steady rise had to do with its winning tenders of government contracts, however the frequency of these successful bids had to do with their being able to undercut the competition. Naturally questions were raised in whispered voices among the trade sector and eventually, the UNE Security Division was called in to make discreet inquiries.

Maia slid behind Councilman David Lenard’s computer and immediately activated the machine. The wide screen came to life and went through the motions of the initial rebooting process as it came alive with colour. She swore slightly as the bombarded of light against the night vision glasses almost blinded her. Maia saw flashes of purple spots drift in front of her eyes for the next few minutes until her vision cleared.

Fortunately, the sudden discomfort had ended when the machine ready to accept instructions. Maia slipped the shiny round disk from its case from her backpack and inserted it into the extended drive waiting for it. Once inside, Addisons’ program started searching the computer’s hard drive for the information. During their first mission together, Maia had not known that her comtech was actually quite an able computer hack, who had some ingenious invasive programs at his disposal (most of which was highly illegal) that Maia had put to good use over the course of their serving together.

As the program did its work, Maia turned away from the bright screen and did a manual search of the room, in case Lenard was smarter than she realised and kept his private files in a less predictable place. She went through his books, checking drawers and cabinets, invading every part of his life inside this room in the effort to find evidence of Lenard’s complicity. As expected, there was nothing to find and she returned to the computer and saw that its search was progressing with better results.

Lenard had a heavily encrypted file, which seemed extremely suspicious in Maia’s case judging by the number of safeguards he had placed upon it. Deciding that it was most likely what she was looking for, Maia transferred the entire file on the disk in the drive while at the same time, connecting online with the UNE Security Network. Keying in her personal code name, Artemis, the public relations web page disintegrated into a more complex system. Once that was done, she sent Lenard’s secret file straight to UNE’s Code Breaking Division.

Suddenly, Maia heard voice coming up the hall and quickly ejected the disk from the drive and proceeded to shut down the company. She could hear the laughing voices from a man and woman. Judging by their footsteps, it was quite obvious they were drunk. She heard the fumbling of a doorknob before they disappeared into the room next to the study. Maia let out a sigh of relief, deciding she was not prepared to deal with Lenard’s bodyguards tonight. As it was, she was eager to depart the premises now that she had found what she was looking for.

Maia collected her things and secured them back into her knapsack before slinging it over her shoulder. She peered out of the room and saw no one in the darkness before deeming it safe to proceed. She had not taken more than a few steps past the door where the couple was no doubt indulging in all kinds of sexual activity when she heard a pained cry.

"Stop it, you’re hurting me!"

Maia froze in her tracks.

Glancing slowly at the door, Maia heard the distinct crack of knuckles against skin before another cry of pain was heard. The sounds behind the door suddenly captured Maia’s attention and refused to let her move from the spot. Her stomach hollowed as she heard the sound of whimpering and animal grunting that left no doubt in her mind what was happening within that room. Maia was torn. She wanted to barge in there and stop this but if she did that the mission would be in jeopardy. It took two seconds for her to debate that question before deciding the mission could go to hell.

Maia entered the room no sooner than the decision had appeared in her mind. The man was lying on top of his victim, oblivious to the fact that her weeping now made the whole sexual act he was engaging in, rape. Not that he cared for he was trusting furiously even though the woman was sobbing incoherently. Maia crossed the floor in three strides and dragged him off her.

"Who the fuck are you?" He growled as he rolled across the floor after she had flung him aside.

The woman on the bed had rolled off the bed and was still sobbing. Maia went to her and noticed her face was covered in bruises and blood. Her clothes were lying in a heap at the floor and Maia retrieved them.

"Get dressed and get out." She ordered the woman who was staring at her in a mixture of gratitude and confusion. Despite her ordeal however, Maia’s order was the only thing that sliced through the mist of her panic. She was getting out. Without question, she started pulling her clothes on while Maia turned her attention to the man with a raging erection that matched the anger in his eyes.

"I don’t know you!" He shouted and slammed his fist on the nearby table. The button his hand landed on made immediately flared in angry crimson and with a sinking feeling, Maia recognised it to be a security alert. In a matter of minutes, depending on the efficiency of his security team’s response time, she was going to be facing a group of armed bodyguards. Maia decided not to be around for that particular performance.

"You’re some kind of animal aren’t you?" Maia returned as the woman had wisely run out of the room, not waiting to be fully dressed. The UNE officer shared her sentiments and decided that vacating the premises was the best thing to do at this moment.

"Fuck you bitch!" He snarled and with a flash of insight, Maia knew everything about this man in an instant. This was a man who was drunk with his own power, who often indulged himself by battering women who were too weak too fight even though he was intimidated by the ones who could. A coward.

"Not a chance." Maia retorted and kicked him squarely in the groin.

He let out a soft squeak of pain before he collapsed onto his knees, quite incapacitated. Leaving him writhing on the floor like the animal he was. She stepped over him and hurried out the door, leaving him groaning in pain. Maia had no more passed the door when she saw two men in automatic weapons appear at the steps from the lower floor.

Maia had no more time to pull out her own gun to fire when a hail of bullets came flying at her. She leapt back into study, just as the bullets tore through the wall behind her with loud roar. Plaster and concrete flew in all directions as she landed on the floor, just beyond the door. She could hear their footsteps coming up the hallway when she kicked out her foot and slammed the shut loudly. No sooner than she did that, another barrage of ammunition tore the door, sending splinters at her as she held her head down from the bullets that flew over head.

When the bullets stopped coming, Maia jumped to her feet, knowing that they were seconds away from breaking the door. There was an open window and Maia ran to it and slid the glass door aside. The door smashed open and the two men made their appearance followed by the would be rapist.

"Freeze!" The lead man in the expensive dark suit ordered, aiming his automatic weapon at her. "Move and we’ll fire."

Maia peered out the window and considered her options. She could not be arrested, under any circumstances and the look on their master’s face did not bode well for her personal safety if she surrendered. Taking a deep breath, Maia met the man’s gaze and replied. "I guess you’ll just have to fire."

With that, she tumbled out the window into the night.

"Shit!" The headman cried out and ran to the window, with his employer and his partner at his side.

Instead of expecting to see a dead body at the foot of the building next to the sidewalk, they saw a very live one, making good time as she proceeded to a motorcycle that was parked on the other side of the street. The fall should have killed her but fortunately the windows below the one she had existed came equipped with plastic awnings. Each of the bright orange awnings were torn through the middle, halting her speed descend with each impact. By the time she had landed on the last awning, there was not even enough velocity to break the plastic.

"I don’t fucking believe it!" Councilman Lenard swore as they watched helplessly as she climbed onto the vehicle and revved the engines. As it roared to life, she directed the vehicle to pass directly under them as she made good her escape.

The last thing they saw of Maia Sanjay was her smiling face as she waved goodbye.

*********

Maia drove her cycle to a garage where she rented space about twenty minutes away. Upon arriving, she promptly began rummaging through her knapsack to find the soft linen dress that had been tucked away. It took her all but ten minutes to slip into what she considered appropriate fashion for a Marine party. Once she was presentable, she slipped into her car and made the drive to Long Island.

II

Corporal Addison’s parties were supposedly legendary.

Maia had heard the tales of how its decadence had written new volumes in the annals of debauchery and inebriated behaviour. She wondered if her presence at this particular celebration would change any of that. Probably not, she decided as she drove into the driveway full of cars while the sound of rock music pounded loudly in her ears from almost two blocks away.

Tim Addison’s parents were apparently seeing out the new year in the tax free Bahamas and had wisely or unwisely, depending on how one looked at it, left their house to the son. Maia wondered if the senior Addisons had any idea what their large home was subject to during these occasions and since this was the first time that Maia was attending on these functions, she had to admit she had no idea herself.

Maia pulled her car into the driveway and actually found a space, a small miracle in itself since the driveway, the surrounding street and some patch of lawn was currently playing host to several cars in assorted makes. Maia stepped out of her gold Maserati and counted at least a thirty such vehicles. As for people, she could see them exuding from every window in the place. Some were Marines; she recognised Tina Marin somewhere in that tangle of bodies. The petite smartgunner was dancing very closely with one of the newer members of the group, a rather perfectly formed African American named Jaleel.

Wonder how Quinn was going to take that; Maia snorted as she started up the cobbled stone walkway, which culminated at the door. As she walked past the manicured garden, she spotted at least three couples using the topiary for purposes, she was certain it was not originally intended. Judging by the giggles and grunts she was hearing and the rustle of a bushes, it appeared that three couples was a modest assumption. Having no wish to be called a peeping tom of an auditory type, Maia kept walking.

Predictably, there was no answer when Maia knocked on the door and she tested it to find that it was unlocked anyway. She entered the house and saw that her prediction of just how many people had also fallen short considerably. Through the sea of gyrating bodies dancing to the music, the mating dance of pick up lines, the drunken collection that was a staple of such parties making complete asses of themselves, there were also several blondes roaming the place. The ladies in question had divested themselves of their blouses and were baring themselves for all to see.

Maia was starting to wonder if it was not a better idea if she went home and curled up with a book.

"Hey!" She heard a voice call.

Turning around, she found herself standing before Kevin MacReady who had spotted Maia the moment she walked into the house. He was pleased to see her here and had thought she might skip the idea of coming at all when she had not shown by midnight. Although no one would get him to admit it, sober any way, the Sargent had been waiting in eager anticipation of her arrival all night. In fact, that was part of the reason he had been fighting off many offers from young women wanting to share his company.

"Mac!" She smiled, genuinely pleased to see someone she knew. There was so many people about that Maia was starting to feel a little overwhelmed.

"I thought you’d never show." He replied with a smile and then noted the dress she was wearing. "You look great." All he had ever saw her in was fatigues these days. The white dress she was wearing was simple but left little to the imagination. He could see the shapely outline of her curves through the fabric which only made MacReady more grateful that she had actually turned up to this orgy.

"Thanks," she beamed at him, remembering clearly the decision she had come to about their relationship tonight and reminding herself to let him in on the secret later on. "You weren’t kidding when you said this thing was nova."

"A little too loud actually." He replied, trying to speak over the din. There were so many voices and the music was loud enough to wake the dead, or was that the name of the band playing? "Come on," he took her hand and started moving towards the bar. "We’ll get you a drink."

"Good," Maia cried out in response, seeing Private Alex Quinn surrounded by some of his fellow Marines while trying to ingest an entire keg of beer. It was running out of his mouth and down his face, most of it was on his clothes and Maia winced at the disgusting sight he presently displayed and could understand why Marin was on the other side of the floor with Jaleel. "Some party!" She declared but MacReady could not hear her as they moved to the epicentre of the noise.

It took several minutes before he could get a her a drink of Barcadi and coke but when he finally did, Maia found herself being led away from the dance floor, passing by Addison who was currently engaged in some heavy discussion with a half naked blond. The conversation involved Addison’s hands doing the walking.

Outside, the ocean was just metres away and the night outside was cool but not enough to be uncomfortable. In truth, it ought to be freezing if it were not for the weather control stations in high orbit around the planet. Instead of experiencing winter in full season, the residents were enjoying a warmth of an early fall night. Maia could see waves rolling back and forth along the shoreline, white froth in a thrust and parry over the white sand. There were couples out here too, indulging in all manner of things under the moonlight.

MacReady and Maia put some distance between themselves and the house, leaving the blaring noise behind them as they walked along the sandy beach. She removed her sandals and MacReady joined her in removing his own shoes so that they could walk in the surf. They continued side by side with the moon over their shoulder, basking in the quiet of the night once the party faded into the distance.

"I’m glad you came." MacReady said breaking the silence.

Maia smiled faintly. "I wouldn’t have missed it. After all, the Captain has to make an appearance, doesn’t she?"

"Yeah," he nodded breaking into a wide grin. "Its getting pretty out of hand now but it was sort of fun earlier on in the evening when everyone wasn’t so wasted."

"I can believe that." Maia laughed remembering her recent images of Addison, Marin and Quinn. "I’m sorry I couldn’t be here any sooner." She apologised sincerely. "Something came up that I couldn’t avoid."

MacReady did not ask her to elaborate because he had learnt early on in their relationship that she had a life away from the Marines and the Sparta. Maia was a UNE agent, what the Marines affectionately referred to as a ‘spook’ or a spy. He understood that there were things about her profession that she could not explain or answer if he was ever curious enough to inquire. MacReady could accept that. Her job was so much apart of what she was that he would not presume to intrude on it. Still, he was disappointed about her decision to keep him at arm’s length. He understood that too because he was a career soldier and he had seen too many relationships that had not survived the job.

He did not want this to be one of them.

Still, thinking a thing was the correct thing to do and then adhering to it was another.

"Mac, I’ve been thinking." She spoke up suddenly.

"Sounds serious." He said in that soft voice of his.

"It is for us both." Maia continued and saw his eyes shift immediately to hers when he realised she was not speaking of their professional relationship, rather their personal one.

"I’m listening." MacReady urged, showing no signs of the intense curiosity he was feeling.

"I think….."

Suddenly, her pager started screaming inside the bag hanging off her shoulder. Maia swore with genuine annoyance because she had wanted to finish telling MacReady about her decision. Digging her hand into her bag, she found the device and read the message scrawled on its digital surface. When Maia looked up at MacReady he seemed hardly surprised by what she was going to say next.

"This is an alert from General Hanlon." She said slightly surprised. Hanlon had never recalled her from a furlough for any reason. Whatever crisis had to be faced could usually wait until the morning. In the past six months, she had come to respect the man as no alarmist and it concerned her greatly that he would call her so unexpectedly.

"Should I get the others together?" MacReady asked, aware of the same thing. Something was up and it could not be good for the General to make personal contact like this.

"No," she shook her head. "We don’t know what this is about yet. He only wanted to see me." Maia said quickly. "Besides, I don’t think anyone is in any condition to go back to the Sparta right now." Maia answered unable to keep from smiling as she said that.

"Tell me about it." MacReady laughed. "I guess I’ll see you later." He sighed disappointed that she was leaving so soon after arriving, especially since he had waited most of the night for her appearance.

Maia felt the same twinge as well but had a better solution than he did which was to merely accept things the way they were. "Hey Sergeant," she said with a hint of suggestion. "Want to take a ride in my car?"

A slow smile stole across his face. "I think I can handle your driving. Where are we going?"

"To see the General of course." Maia said firmly as they started back towards the house and then added a second later. "And maybe a little something else after."

MacReady could only stare as he tried to figure out what that meant……..

Chapter Two

I

Gateway Station was just as busy as always, despite the fact that it was New Years day. With all the incoming and outgoing space traffic that was a constant around the planet earth, it could ill afford to be anything else. Dates and events seemed to hold little significance to the place when so much depended upon its smooth running. As the centralised hub of human space travel, Gateway had exceeded the boundaries of such trivial concerns.

Since its establishment almost one hundred years ago, the enormous station had grown to the size of a city. In the network of corridors, pylons and numerous docking rings, Gateway housed everything from commercial freight depots, terminals for civilian space travel and not to mention the more important government base of operation. When it had first began operation, the station had relied heavily upon Weyland Yutani dollars to keep it afloat. However, with the demise of the almost immortal Company had seen a visible shift in Gateway’s fiscal supply. The slack had been taken up immediately by the government and commercial sectors that were never eager to let opportunity pass them by. Now Gateway was self-sufficient and beholding to no one. It operated almost autonomously with its commander who ensured that the running of the station would never be interfered by the problems of Earth.

Maia and MacReady had left the party at Long Island and drove immediately into the city. Although he was burning with curiosity to know what it was she was about to tell him before the untimely interruption by her pager, MacReady held himself back. It had sounded important whatever it was and he did not want to seem forward by pushing too hard for answers. Still, she had invited him along on his meeting to see General Hanlon so whatever was on her mind, Maia herself seemed reluctant to let it go despite the present situation.

The military offices at Gateway Station were mostly used for mission briefing for commanding officers of transport such as the Sparta. Since Gateway acted as a shuttle station for the transportation of personnel arriving from earth on their way to their ships. Hanlon used these offices for preciously that reason and most of Maia’s briefing with the general took place on these premises. As usual, Hanlon’s secretary guarded the way to his temporary office just Military Police guarded the entrance to the military facilities.

"The general is expecting me." Maia announced to the dour face woman who eyed her distastefully because she was out of uniform and was accompanied with what looked like a date. Maia noticed how she was looking at MacReady and decided that explanations were in order. "Captain Maia Sanjay and this Sargent Kevin MacReady."

That announcement did not change her opinion of their appearance and both Maia and MacReady exchanged looks of resignation when she informed the general of their arrival.

"The general will see you now." She responded with clear disapproval.

"Thank you.’ Maia said sweetly and then muttered under her breath silently. Hag.

The two Colonial Marines entered the modest office of General Steven Hanlon. Hanlon was seated behind his desk, wearing a decidedly grim expression on his face that put them both on guard immediately. By the sudden summons here, Maia had already guessed that some crisis had arisen because Hanlon was not prone to react prematurely.

"Captain Sanjay, Sargent MacReady," he greeted, making no reaction at MacReady’s presence but then Maia knew Hanlon thought highly of the young man and would not have trouble speaking freely. "I apologise for dragging you out here on New Years Day."

"Perfectly alright General," Maia said easily. "The party will go one without us."

"Please sit down," he said grimly, his voice betraying the urgency of the situation for which they had been summoned. Watching his dark expression only serve to put Maia on guard even further. Once everyone was seated, Hanlon took a deep breath and continued speaking.

"A month ago, one of survey ships discovered a commercial freighter in orbit around a planet with two binary stars. The survey ship has been scouting for possible locations for war games exercises and it was pure luck that they detected the ship at all. We ran it through the registry and discovered that it was the Iago."

"I remember that." Maia remembered hearing something of the news reports. "She was carrying a surveying team."

"That’s right." Hanlon nodded. "When our people went on board, there as no sign of disturbance, everything appeared ship shape. With the exception of the normal degradation that comes from neglect, there was no other damage to the ship. We downloaded the ship logs and discovered that it had pulled into orbit when there was a slight engine problem. The crew was revived as standard procedure with Weyland Yutani directives of the time and they repaired the problem."

"So what happened?" Maia inquired.

"They discovered life on the planet." Hanlon replied quietly, with no signs of the enthusiasm that would usually follow such a discovery. Discovering life on other worlds was usually an event that sent the media into a feeding frenzy and yet there was no pleasure in Hanlon’s voice as he made this announcement.

"Dangerous life?" Maia asked, suddenly feeling a tightening in her chest she could not explain.

"The survey team made a planetary landing because Weyland Yutani contracts with its employees demand that any planet exhibiting life signs must be investigated or else it will result in the forfeiture of all shares."

"Bastards," MacReady, who had been silent up to this point, muttered under his breath.

"I tend to agree," Hanlon sighed. "They did go down there and we have tapes of their encounters with the supposed life forms." His eyes were black and did not meet Maia’s as he reached for the panel on the edge of his desk that would run the images he wanted them to see. Hanlon could not bring himself to explain further because it would entirely redundant once he showed them what the down load from the Iago had revealed.

"This was taken from the internal cameras of the environmental suits," Hanlon said as he prepared the tapes to be run. "I’ve had it edited. The rest is pretty standard stuff, new terrain that sort of thing. I’ll have the complete edition sent to you later if you like."

"Certainly," Maia said shifting her eyes to the screen, as did MacReady. For some reason, they both felt something coming at them with the speed of a locomotive. They just could not shake the terrible foreboding that had seeped into their bones the moment Hanlon had mentioned the discovery of life.

The screen behind him flickered to life and very soon images began flashing before them of a most dismal looking planet. However, in an instant, it became very apparent why Hanlon had summoned them here. The shape in the distance as viewed by the doomed survey team, which Maia and MacReady knew with absolute certainty were dead, was something out of a nightmare. Unfortunately it was a familiar one. The dome shaped structure with its strange design and materials sent a shiver down both their spines as their eyes were fixed on the screen, with almost transfixed expectation of the horror to come.

"That is what I think it is, isn’t it?" MacReady found his voice as he saw the survey team approach the structure with no idea of what lay inside. They should have been running far away, not continued walking into certain death.

"It is." Maia said coldly, remembering how she had seen the exact same structure on Fiorina, shortly before she had lost almost half a platoon of Marines. She thought of Parker, O’Neill and Yates, not to mention a host of others whose names and faces were burned into memory each time she went to sleep. The nightmares had subsided for a time but now Maia knew they were going to return with a vengeance.

"Jesus." MacReady swallowed, suddenly feeling very dry in the mouth. "They’re all dead." He said with certainty.

"We think so." Hanlon said grimly. "Certainly, the rest of the images in this recorder show that."

"So this isn’t a rescue mission." Maia retorted wondering for what purpose Hanlon had summoned her. Her eyes were still fixed on the screen as was MacReady but it was a foregone conclusion in her mind what would happen next. It was almost predictable.

"No," he shook his head. "We don’t believe anyone is alive down there, not after two years." Hanlon said regretfully. "We believe that is the alien homeworld."

MacReady instinctively looked at Maia remembering what she had said to him almost a year ago when the Fiorina mission had come to an end. He never forget the coldness he felt when she had told him that aliens from Acheron were now from that world, that it had brought there by a spaceship. Somewhere out there was a planet full of these things and it now appeared that mankind had stumbled upon it again. She did not react as he glanced in her direction but the expression on her face as she stared at Hanlon told him, she was remembering those fateful words as well.

"What’s our role in this?" Maia inquired. Surely he did not expect them to make a surface landing of the planet because if he did, Maia would find herself in a dilemma because there was no way in hell she was putting her Marines in that kind of danger again. Only four people out of the entire squad had survived Fiorina, the rest had died horrifically.

"Nothing as dangerous as you might think," Hanlon responded quickly seeing the deadly gleam in her eye that spoke threats he could not hear but could feel instead.

"The UNE Security Council has been apprised of the situation and have deliberated that the planet be quarantined. At this moment, we have a putting together a permanent task force that will be in permanent orbit around the planet to ensure no one interferes with these creatures or attempts to take them off world. Legislation is being written as we speak putting into effect a law that will make transportation of dangerous organisms from their natural habitat a punishable offence. In the wake of Weyland Yutani trials, it is going through the council with surprising ease."

Maia could understand that perfectly well since she had secretly been responsible for the demise of the all-powerful company. The dying testimony of Ellen Ripley delivered to the Council by Maia after Fiorina had ensured that the Weyland Yutani Corporation was dismantled forever.

"What we need the Sparta in temporary orbit around the planet until that task force is ready to assume the duties of guarding the planet on a permanent basis. In effect Captain, you and the Sparta will create blockade. The Ronin and Fury will join you within two weeks of your departure from Gateway. I am recalling their personnel now."

"We’re not to go on the surface at all?" Maia looked at the General, wanting to be absolutely clear on this point.

"It will be illegal to break quarrantine," Hanlon said firmly. "Not unless you have a very good reason for it."

Maia could think of no reason good enough that would induce her to land on a planet full of those acid-bleeding monsters. What she had seen on Fiorina was enough. If the mission required her keeping any corporate raider from attempting to transport the creatures off world, then she could accept the mission on that basis. "Is anyone aware of the planet’s existence?" Maia questioned.

"No," The General shook his head in response. "We’re keeping this information top secret."

Maia however was sceptical of that assertion. Secrets had a way of getting out despite the best efforts to conceal them. Somehow, she had a feeling this particular one would do so with far more ease than even Hanlon might suspect.

"How much force as we permitted to use to stop anyone from making a landing?" MacReady inquired.

"As much as necessary." Hanlon declared with a steely look in his eyes. "The Council views this matter in the same regard of planetary security. You and the Marines are authorised to use deadly force to keep this threat isolated and bound to the homeworld. Believe me, I’ve seen the probability statistics of what would happen if any infestation got a foothold on this planet and so has the Council, it scared the hell out of all us."

Hanlon need not elaborate. Having seen the aliens first hand, Maia and MacReady were perfectly aware of what the species was capable of if ever they should reach the earth. If nothing else, the two soldiers could count on the fear of the Council to ensure that they kept their promise of the permanent blockade. It required military grade hardware just to kill a drone, let alone what would happen if a queen got loose in a populated centre. A civilian would have no chance of survival if indeed death were all he had to worry about. Maia could think of nothing more horrifying than playing host to a future monster.

"Trust me, Captain." Hanlon replied with a hint of confidence. "This time it will be different."

Maia said nothing but things always went wrong when someone said that and she had bad feeling this would be no exception.

II

They returned to the Sparta after the meeting had concluded, filled with so much apprehension about the mission ahead that they hardly noticed Hanlon’s battle axe secretary when they left.

MacReady walked Maia back to her quarters, feelings somewhat overwhelmed by what General Hanlon had told them and knowing just how much danger the mission ahead would involve despite the general’s assurances. The last time they had encountered the aliens, most of them had died and MacReady could not help shifting his thoughts from the recruits who were really too raw to take on what they would be facing when they arrived at the planet. MacReady was not even sure that seasoned professionals like Marin, Addison and Quinn would be eager to undertake this mission. Still, they were Colonial Marines and Marines were always where the action was.

"You’re quiet." Maia looked at him as they reached her door, noticing the intense way his piercing blue green eyes were lapsed in thought. It required no clairvoyance to know what was on his mind. The mission ahead was enough to shake anyone to the core. Maia herself had finally managed to shake off some of the nightmares she had been suffering since their return from Fiorina. In almost a decade of service as a UNE agent, nothing had shaken her nerve like the aliens that she and the Marines had encountered on that stygian world.

Sometimes she even dreamed of Ellen Ripley.

"I hate this mission." He admitted freely.

"You’re not the only one." She sighed as she leaned against the door to her quarters. "But he is right, we are the only ones who have had prior experience with the aliens."

"I have the experience," MacReady said with more vehemence than he meant. "You have it, Marin, Addison and Quinn have it but not the rest of the squad!"

"Mac." Maia stepped forward and pressed her body against his, placing her hand on his face so that he would look at her. It took quite a bit to shake his cool reserve and he was visibly apprehensive. Maia hated seeing him like this.

He met her gaze, surprised by the sudden show of affection. It was very un-Captain like behaviour coming from her. Maia lifted her head and met his lips in a soft kiss. It felt just as wonderful as the first time in the bowels of the drop ship on Fiorina, when they had been fighting for their lives with an alien infestation loose in the shadows. "Captain, could we have that talk now?" He said huskily, suddenly remembering they had been in the midst of an important conversation that they had still yet to finish when Hanlon had summoned them to Gateway.

"Come inside." She said pulling away from him.

Maia turned to her quarters and entered the security code in the access panel that would allow them entry. Behind her, MacReady was silent but she could tell from his breathing that he was full of anticipation for more than just talk. She could not deny feeling the same way, just feeling the warmth of his taut body against hers had reminded Maia just how long it had been since she had a real relationship or even been with a man.

They entered the cramp confines of the officer’s quarters. Despite the fact that it was in military decor, Maia had come to enjoy the simplicity of it in its lack of pleasantries. There was a bed, a desk, an electronic entertainment unit mounted on the wall, a terminal for computer access throughout the ship and a private latrine and shower.

"Lights." She spoke initialising the voice activated environmental controls. "Minimum illumination."

The light filled the room with just enough brightness so that they did not stumble about in the dark. They faced each other in the dim light, unable to deny the awkwardness in the wake of what had transpired between them just a few moments to go. Maia knew for certain that if she and MacReady were to advance beyond this point, it was time to say what she had intended to during the private moment on the beach.

"I’ve been thinking about us." She said quietly, deciding that it was best to just say what was on her mind instead of delaying it with trivialities. MacReady was used to her being direct any way.

He was standing before her, his arms folded and his powerful gaze pierced through her skin as he waited patiently for the conclusion of her deliberations regarding their non-existence relationship. "And?" He asked, finding himself very much in control for a change. He liked how it felt.

"I want you." Maia whispered, her eyes meeting his with a measure of shyness. "I don’t think I ever stopped wanting you and I know it might complicates things with us working together."

"Not for me." He said firmly and without hesitation.

Maia saw the certainty in his eyes and realised that he meant it. She wondered how he could se so sure about things but then MacReady was like that, always surprising her when she least expected it. He was the one thing in her life she had never been able to predict. Just when Maia had thought nothing was capable of affecting her again, this Marine with his penetrating eyes of ice blue and laid back manner had more or less swept her off her feet since the moment they met.

"Somehow, I’m not surprised." She said with a smile even though she was nervous and trying not to show it. Maia could not believe how hard this was. It was not as if this was her first relationship but with MacReady nothing was simple. None of the old rules applied for he was always something new that she could not fit into her ordered existence.

He saw the difficulty she was having and decided that for once, he was going to have to take the initiative. MacReady stepped forward and pulled Maia to him once the surprise of what he saw in her eyes and what she had just revealed to him faded away. Maia did not protest because he could see from the arousal she was trying so hard to hide, that she wanted this as much as he did. It filled him with such intense pleasure to know that she cared about him enough to ignore her reservations and take this all-important step. He had come to learn much about Maia Sanjay since he had first met her and guessed that she did not give her affections to just anyone.

MacReady’s touch unlocked something inside Maia, a deep hunger that would not go away until she felt his lips against hers. From the first time they had kissed, Maia had suspected that MacReady was capable of bringing her to such heights of pleasure that it would not be just her body she was surrendering but also her soul. Finally Maia was no longer afraid of that release. She was tired of being the supercool agent Artermis of the UNE and Captain Sanjay of the Colonial Marines. For once in her life she wanted to be treated as nothing more than a woman and she wanted to be loved by him the same way.

When MacReady drew her to him, their mouths with fierce intensity. He slid the wet heat of his tongue past her teeth while savouring the softness of her lips. He could smell the faint tinge of alcohol on her breath and paused long enough to question if this was the right thing to do, she was after all his commanding officer and after this, their relationship in the field would never be the same again. However, when he felt her hands pulling at his t-shirt before slipping her smooth palms against his bare back, any doubt was washed away with the incredible sensation of her touch. He felt her breasts heaving against his chest and could feel the points of her nipples through the thin fabric of her dress. With each second that passed, MacReady knew he was fast reaching the point of not caring. He wanted her. He had wanted her ever since he had first seen her. He wanted nothing but to hear his name from her lips the first time he pushed inside her body.

Maia did not resist when he started pulling at the straps of her dress and she let her arms dropped to her sides so that he could slip them past her bronzed shoulders. The thin material peeled off her skin easily as MacReady enjoyed feeling every curve under his palm as he manipulated the fabric in its descent. It landed on the floor silently and Maia heard his sharp intake of breath, when she stood before him wearing only a pair of lace briefs. She felt strangely submissive as she let him have free reign upon her body. She wanted to indulge him because she trusted him enough to know that he would pleasure her equally.

As if proving that her faith in him was justified, MacReady’s mouth left her lips and then slid down her neck as he started tugging at the lace undergarment. MacReady worked the scant scrap of lace of her hips free while he continued kissing her. Very soon, she stood before him completely naked. The sight of her bare was enough to make his cock stiffen with such rigid desire that he could feel it pressing uncomfortably against his jeans. However, MacReady was determined to take this slow. He wanted to enjoy every moment of this for as long as it lasted.

He tortured Maia’s mouth mercilessly with warm, seductive kisses while at the same time caressing the swollen breasts before him. He groaned softly as he felt the pointed nipples under his palm, hardening each time he moved his callused skin over the sensitive tips. Maia released a pleasured sigh that only forced him to kiss her with greater passion. MacReady moved from her lips once again, devouring the flesh as he glided down her neck. He reached for her hair and brushed it aside while searching for that one place in her neck he knew would make the most effect.

While still engaging her in such passionate kisses, MacReady had steered her towards the narrow bunk bed that was regulation, even in officer’s quarters on military ships like the Sparta. Gently, he lowered her down to the bed, hating to leave her mouth but knowing he must for a brief moment. Maia eased back into the bed, watching him strip off his clothes with nothing less than pure lust. She had often admired his lean body when they had been forced to share communal showers and before they slipped into the stasis tubes but seeing him like this brought on a completely different feeling. She felt another gush of moisture between her legs as she saw him completely naked and licked her lips in anticipation at how beautiful he was.

"I’m impressed," she smiled at him seductively.

Despite his usually laid back demeanour, she saw an involuntary flush of red seep into his face as he smiled. "I’ll ask you that again later." He replied quietly and took a closer step forward to join her.

However, before MacReady could lower himself down on the bed to join Maia, she stopped him in front of her. She gazed at the raging erection and could not help noticing how big he was. The anticipation of that formidable piece of equipment plunging into her depths, made Maia gape at him with a leer of salacious desire. She met his eyes and started working her warm tongue over her lower lip, her movements slow and full of promise at what she wanted to do to him at this moment. MacReady was mesmerised by the languid dance of her soft lips and suddenly found himself leaning closer to her, his cock brushing her face gently. The tip that touched her cheek made him groan softly.

Maia liked the sound he made as he struggled to restrain himself against the pleasure her breath against his stiff cock was making him experience. She decided she wanted to torture him a little herself and smiled as she continued rubbing its swollen head against her skin. As she felt his smooth skin, Maia knew with absolute certainty that she wanted that beautifully hard cock as far down her throat as she wanted it inside her body. Maia positioned herself so she do just that before her brown eyes met his playfully, parting her lips ever so slightly in an invitation for him enter. Her tongue slipped past her teeth, beckoning him with its tantalising slither across her upper lip. MacReady felt his cock spasm at the thought of burying himself in that warm, moist mouth.

"I am going to make you scream, Sargent." She whispered and saw the restraint snap inside him as he trust his hips at her mouth, his hands holding her head firmly as he pulled her down on him. Maia caught sight of the expression on his face and saw the ecstacy that clouded his eyes as he clamped them shut from the intense pleasure. She delighted in the sensation as MacReady slipped his heavy engorged cock down her throat before she closed her lips around it with tight wet pressure.

"Jesus." He whispered.

The enthusiasm in which she swallowed his throbbing cock deep into her mouth was more than MacReady could endure. He was so hot and inflamed as she ran her tongue over his shaft that he could not help but groan loudly. With a start, he realised that he was being very vocal as he thrust his hips forward, his cock determined to bury itself as far down her throat as possible. The pleasure of what her tongue was doing to him was beyond description.

MacReady was hardly aware of anything except how her mouth was capable of producing such mind numbing pleasure. No woman he had ever been with had managed to match this sweet delight. His hands were running through her hair as he pulled her face forward while thrusting into the taut ring of her lips. She increased the pressure even more until all he could feel was that surge of crushing weight as her lips slid over his shaft. MacReady could feel the sudden tightening in his groin when his cock hardened beyond the point of endurance and the back of his stamina threaten to shatter. He had to stop her or else he would come in her mouth. As much as he wanted to feel that ecstasy, MacReady wanted to share this experience with her and so he managed a strangled gasp.

"Not yet." He said feeling anguished when he pulled himself out of her mouth. The cessation of pleasure almost drew a sob from him but he wanted to be inside her when he emptied his seed.

MacReady climbed onto the bed, lowering her flat on her back in his descent. Once they were nestled together, MacReady started kissing her again, unable to get enough of her wonderful taste. His kisses were harder and more intense where they had been warm and gentle earlier. The desire to explore her mouth was gone, now he was invasive and brutal. His tongue plundered hers with passion, until the ferocity of it took her breath away and she was left gasping for air.

After awhile, he slipped away from her mouth, sliding further down her naked body, until his mouth found her nipples and took one into her mouth. He started sucking it insistently, sending exquisite waves of pleasure rippling through her body each time he chose to swirl his hot tongue over the erect tip. Maia had started to groan incoherently, feeling that pleasure while at the same time aware that MacReady’s hands were sliding down her thigh. She felt thick fingers slip past her aching folds, prying them apart as he buried one finger deep into her warm recess. The muscles within gripped the finger with such hard suction that MacReady felt all the blood rush to his cock in a single gush of desire at the anticipation of what those muscles would do to his manhood.

"God, you’re so tight." MacReady gasped softly before forcing another finger inside her until she arched on into MacReady’s awaiting mouth from the sheer of pleasure of it. "You’ re so fucking tight." He groaned again, as the ache in his cock became a pounding sound in his ears that drowned out everything else. Maia was running her hands through MacReady’s hair, while moaning as he probed deep inside her with his fingers.

Her cries were almost incoherent now as she was treated to the ministrations of his sensuous mouth as he nibbled gently on her nipple while his hand kneaded her other breast. MacReady’s lips were everywhere at once after awhile because he delighted in her reaction. The way her body shuddered in sighs of delight each time he ran his hands over her skin or laved its silky texture with his tongue in long strokes, made him so aroused he could hardly believe it.

Suddenly, MacReady withdrew his fingers and started sliding downward; eliciting a ragged sob from her when both hands and mouth stopped what they were doing. She looked down at him with glassy eyes and swallowed hard when she realised what he was about to do. MacReady trailed hot kisses down her abdomen as he made his downward journey. Finally he arrived at his destination and gently coaxed her legs apart before lowering himself into the mound of dark hair. If she felt so good around his fingers, MacReady wanted to know if she tasted just as delicious. As he nuzzled into the cleft between her legs, MacReady was rewarded with a groan of utter ecstasy.

"Oh god!" She cried out. Her eyes were closed but her jaw was slack with pleasure. "Oh god, Mac…" She could hardly form the words as she felt his mouth searching for her clit. All she could stand was that wet tongue burrowing deeper into her, until he found that pearl of flesh that would bring down the walls of her control in one resounding crash.

"Enjoy it Captain," MacReady paused long enough to say huskily as he looked up and her face contort into visions of ecstasy. "Just enjoy it."

His tongue darted into her deepest crevices, moving to the rhythm that only he could hear. He swirled around her erect clit, until that tiny node of skin was so hard, he could feel his own cock straining with excitement at her intense reaction. Maia dug her fingers into his hair as MacReady proceeded to fuck her with his tongue, sliding in and out of her with long, smooth strokes until she was moaning incoherently with mindless pleasure.

Maia was unable to grasp how wonderfully MacReady was able to drive her absolutely insane with his sensuous mouth. She could nothing but wrap her legs were around his back as his hands pulled her thighs around his face and nuzzled deeper into her.

His tongue started to tingle as he felt Maia reaching the peak of her climax. He loved the sensation against the tip of his tongue when a woman was about to come in his mouth. MacReady loved doing this. He enjoyed turning someone so in control into this mass of nerve endings screaming for release. He swirled around the tiny, sucking it hard between his teeth before laving its tiny tip with his hot tongue. She was whimpering now and MacReady knew that he had snapped the last vestiges of resistance when the full flow of her orgasm came rushing at him. She filled him with her warm taste, allowing him to lap her up with relish while he noted that she tasted sweeter than anything he had ever had in his mouth.

Seeing the dreamy expression on her face as she came down from her shattering climax only made MacReady want to plunge into her sensitive flesh. He did not want her to have time to regain her composure because more than anything at this moment, he wanted to feel those powerful muscles grab his cock and crush it helplessly in a surge of beatific pleasure. MacReady looked at Maia whose expression was starting to fill with hungry need at the sight of him. She met his gaze and smiled. "I need you inside me, Mac." She said running her tongue over her lower lip as she spoke. "Take me please."

MacReady slipped up to her and covered his mouth over Maia’s own. She felt the strange sensation of tasting herself on his lips. She wondered at the saltiness of it before allowing herself to become aroused again. It was impossible not to when she felt his fierce lips kissing her with as much power as he had done when he had brought her to such dizzying heights of pleasure only minutes before. She paused long enough to smile at him as she brought her hand to his face and felt the rough stubble of skin while she savoured how handsome he was and knew that this was not just a casual fling. MacReady was not merely having sex with her; he was making love to her. Maia was surprised with how much of a difference that made.

MacReady was so hot and ready that he could barely stand to wait another second, as he remained poised at her slick opening. Spreading her legs apart with his knee, MacReady did not offer her warning when without hesitation, he rammed his cock deep into her throbbing folds, as far it would go. Her back arched on the bed as she cried out but MacReady was there to capture her mouth again, stifling the sound before it could escape her lips. Maia started to moan into his mouth the faster MacReady pumped into her hot, warm passage.

God, she felt so damn good!

MacReady’s mind clouded over with pleasure as he felt her tight muscles contracting around him each time he pounded into her body. Her legs were wrapped around his waist and her hands dug into his back, raking her nails and driving him insane with arousal but the pain. He could do nothing but clamp his own fingers around her thighs so that he could impale her with even more force. She began to whimper the faster he thrusted into her steamy depths and the sounds she made just about drove him completely over the edge. MacReady fought for control, closing his eyes shut while his body be came utterly subservient to the immense pleasure of fucking Maia Sanjay like there was no tomorrow.

Neither was aware when their groans became one voice.

Maia could not have offered testimony to that either because she was too busy savouring his stiff cock inside her. No doubt she would suffer for this hard pounding this in the morning, if she could even walk but at the moment, she could not care less about anything except this tidal wave of pleasure carrying her to parts unknown. She could feel another orgasm made its timely arrival and Maia’s breathing shallowed as she allowed the wave to sweep her away and knowing that it would likely take MacReady too.

MacReady felt himself explode inside of her when the pressure of those incredibly tight muscles gripped him with such pressure that it forced all sense from his world as he came crashing down, in the wake of his own release. The final shudder of their bodies and their hot fluids melded in an erotic mix of heat that warmed them both. "God! Maia!" He groaned as he continued pumping into her, forcing every ounce of his pleasure to fill every corner of her wonderful body to complete the ecstasy of this perfect joining.

He collapsed on top of her, still panting as he felt all energy drain from him with the intense climax she made him experience. Maia smiled, enjoying his weight on her body as he felt his ragged breathing in her ear. After a moment, MacReady slid off her and nestled beside her so that he could cradle her in his arms. God he loved her and until now, MacReady had not realised how much. Still he could not bring himself to say it to her, not yet anyway. This was all too new to both of them for such declarations.

"That was incredible." She whispered as she opened her eyes and looked into his with a smile. The contentment he saw in her face made MacReady very pleased with himself.

"I’m glad I impressed you." He grinned.

"Oh I’m not impressed yet," she let a suggestive smile steal across her face. "At least not until the rest of the night is over."

"Captain," he said in his most official voice. "I’m at your service."

"Don’t you ever forget it." Maia chuckled softly before leaning over to kiss him again.

 CHAPTER THREE

I

David Lenard had to think fast.

When he discovered that the unexpected guest to his New Year’s party had downloaded the entire content of his home computer, he knew that he was in trouble. There was only thing of value on his computer that would be of interest to anyone and through some impossible miracle of computing tampering, his mysterious visitor had acquired it. The information that had been commandeered against his wishes was inflammatory to say the least, to the say the most; it could ensure him being kept behind bars for the rest of his natural life.

Time was the only thing he had in his arsenal to fight the calamity that would overtake his life when the news reached the Security Council. The UNE would be merciless in their prosecution considering the recent collapse of Weyland Yutani. The company had died, revealing all its filthy secrets over a century of corruption. If there was one thing that incensed anyone these days it was the possibility that any rising corporation may attempt to take its place.

Paragon Innovations could become that company. The man in charge of it Crispin Dunne was by all accounts a genius that had emerged from nowhere with a small software company and had built it into an empire in a fairly short space of time. Dunne had achieved this considerable feat because he did not believe in playing by the rules. When he had approached Lenard with promises of more money than a civil servant had ever seen in his life, Dunne had shown just how much the rules meant. Lenard was in his forties and fifty seemed to be looming dreadfully close when the exorbitant offer was made. A man mindful of the days after retirement could ill afford to ignore such an offer and so Lenard went on Paragon’s payroll when he secretly fed sensitive material regarding government tenders. With this information in hand, Paragon had shot itself right to the top of a pyramid built on the decaying body of the once great but now defunct company.

In the wake of the invasion of his house, Lenard knew his usefulness to Dunne was just about to end. Once he could no longer provide valuable information to Paragon, he would be discarded. Lenard was not that arrogant that he did not believe such a thing could happen to him. He had over his lifetime, seen better men fall in the same way. Not to mention that once the UNE caught up with him, Paragon would move to sever all connection to him, in order to save themselves. After Weyland Yutani’s demise, the UNE was keeping a watchful eye of Corporate Earth. Extraordinary powers could be applied to take a company apart if even the slightest hint of wrongdoing was suspected.

What Lenard had to do was to get himself off the planet and disappear. He had enough money from Dunne to retire but not to undertake something so permanent as to leave no traces of himself anywhere in existence. What he needed to was to offer Dunne something of such great value that it would be the ultimate pay off. A final parting gesture of wealth that would ensure his future freedom.

"You asked to see me, Lenard." Dunne looked at him through his steel rimmed glasses and greyish blue eyes. "On New Years Day no less," there was just enough annoyance in his voice to hint that Lenards’s reason for asking this audience had better be a very good one. "What could warrant such a demand?" He said in his smooth Harvard voice even though Lenard’s inquiry into the man’s background and revealed a decidedly modest upbringing in Brooklyn, New York.

Dunne was typical of the young successful corporate raider. Just past his mid thirties, he commanded a veritable empire in blue chip stock. He was of Irish American in descent, with dark auburn hair and Celtic features of which chiselled lines and a strong mouth. A man who commanded not only an empire but also the presence to run it without peer.

"I think the UNE broke into my home tonight." Lenard said nervously.

If the new upset Dunne, the man certainly did not show it. He sat behind his large desk of an office that was easily the size of a small home with its polished marble floors and smooth surfaces. Lenard found it sterile and imposing, succeeding in all accounts by Dunne’s reckoning to make his guests feel intimidated when in his presence. "Really?" He said simply. "What did they find?"

"Enough to bury me." Lenard said without hesitation.

"And naturally your first impulse was to run to Paragon." He stared at Lenard coldly, with unmasked contempt in his eyes.

"You have to help me." Lenard implored. "They’ll strip me of my post at the very least and throw me in jail at the worst."

"You were well paid," Dunne replied. "You knew the risks."

"You can’t just leave me to the wolves!" Lenard continued to whine, while Dunne seemed bored by the whole proceedings.

"Tell me why I should not have you thrown out of this room and deny vehemently that you were anything to me?" Dunne looked at him with a raised brow and a clear challenge.

"Because I have records." The former UNE Councilman threatened.

"You would not leave this room to deliver them to the proper authorities and there is no computer system in this galaxy I cannot tamper with and have the information erased. So if its threats you are resorting to, you’re going to have to do better than that." Dunne said with a faint smile.

Lenard eased into his chair, grateful to understand what his situation was no matter how unpleasant the realisation. "I have something of greater value than a threat." Lenard replied, producing a diskette that he had kept concealed in his suit all this time.

He put the disk on the smooth surface of the black marble desk. "I present to you," he looked at Dunne with a hint of smile. "The next revolution in biological warfare."

"Drugs do not interest me," Dunne said unimpressed by that grandiose statement. "Neither do vermin under the skin I cannot see."

Lenard smiled, pleased that he had the upper hand and felt some satisfaction at being aware of something that would leave Dunne speechless. That alone was worth the price of the dozen laws and breaches he would be committing when he offered this top-secret data to Crispin Dunne. "I’m not talking about a drug or a bacteria." He said, playing the upper hand well with a smug smile on his face. "I am talking about a weapon the like of which you have never seen. "

"All right," Dunne nodded and picked up the disk on the table. "You’ve bought yourself an extra five minutes."

"You won’t regret it." Lenard said with a widening grin. "What you hold in your hand is the entire summary complete with graphic data of a meeting I attended early yesterday morning."

"You are still not saying anything that is interesting me." Dunne replied shooting down any attempt by Lenard to get too cocky. In truth, he was interested in what the man had to say but he was not about to let his power over Lenard diminish in any way. Men like Lenard needed to be held down and reminded who was in charge. David Lenard was ambition unchecked and unfortunately for him, without the brains to match.

Lenard was unfazed by Dunne’s ambivalence to his announcement and continued speaking, realising how much depended on his ability to convince the man of the opportunity before him. "I will," he said confidently, more than he felt actually. "The meeting was top level between the Council, the military and the UNE security division. Only the most high clearance personnel were allowed in the room."

Dunne shifted in his seat, indicating his impatience and made Lenard swallow thickly, before continuing again. "We’ve found the planet where the Weyland Yutani aliens originated."

The reaction was immediate. While public knowledge of Weyland Yutani’s crimes were not specifically known, anyone with an ounce of ability at acquiring information and secrets would be aware of the significance of that statement. Dunne was one of these. He sat up in his chair as saw the smile stealing across Lenard’s face at finally capturing his interest. "You’re certain of this?"

"Absolutely." Lenard grinned even wider now. "A commercial ship, the Iago, discovered the planet in a binary star system and put down there for landing in accordance with Company Directive 324.1 where any evidence of life must be investigated."

"I know the clause." Dunne said abruptly, wanting to hear more about the alien. "Paragon contracts have something similar."

"There is visual evidence that it is the home world for the aliens." Lenard answered. "If not, then its a highly virulent infestation all across the planet."

"Well," Dunne said with a smile as he eased back into his chair and turned his intense gaze on Lenard. "It does appear that you have succeeded in escalating your value to me. I assume you have terms you wish to discuss?"

"You damn right." Lenard said rudely, enjoying the ability to dictate for a change. "You’re going to make trillions with even one specimen from the planet. I want a share of that. I want enough money to disappear out of the UNE’s reach forever."

Dunne considered the request and found that he could live with those terms and in truth, he would not mind seeing Lenard disappear. The man was tiresome and apparently had some very distasteful personal habits that Paragon wanted no affiliation with, if the young ladies that had been interviewed were to be believed. "Done." He declared.

"Good," the former Councilman grinned, leaning forward. "Now we don’t have a lot of time. Even as we speak, the UNE is moving to quarantine the planet. If we can get there before they do, we can transport as many specimens as you like before a blockade is put into effect."

"A blockade." Dunne smiled. "I like the idea of the UNE ensuring we have the genuine product only."

"A contingent of Marines will be despatched as the initial enforcers but they will be followed by a permanent task force. "

"Marines?" The head of Paragon mused and thought quickly, disliking to be forced into any constraint of time but aware that some things simply had to be, no matter how inconvenient. A plan began to form in his head because he knew more about these aliens than Lenard had even dreamed he was aware. The fool had believed he was telling him something new but in truth, it was Dunne who always had more information. He just missed the vital clue of not knowing where to find the aliens.

With a smile he met Lenard’s eyes and replied. "I think we can arrange to have a little reception committee waiting for them when they arrive."

 II

The Marine were not happy to be home.

Considering most of them had spent the last night indulging in various forms of debauchery. The team, which usually conducted itself with total professionalism, staggered onto the floor of the Sparta’s main landing deck, looking quite pathetic. Most of them appeared as walking advertisements warning against the dangers of alcohol. Maia could only imagine the symphony playing in their heads if the party she had seen last night was any indication of how the rest of their evening went.

"Captain, there ought to be a law…" Addison grumbled as he staggered towards her with MacReady trying very hard to remain the tough, sargeant instead of laughing his ass off at their suffering.

"I’m sorry Addision," Maia replied feeling, genuinely sympathetic to the dance that must be going on in his head at this point. The comtech kept running his hand through his blond hair, as if doing so would dispel his headache as well as the fact he had slept in his clothes the night before. "We got an emergency. "

"Wonderful." Private Samantha Leigh, one of the new additions to the squad muttered through the mop of red curl that covered most of her face. Maia did not need to see her eyes to know that she was in a similar state of pain as Addison. Leigh was one of the better recruits the Marines had been provided with. She was a natural leader and was quick thinking, holding up well under fire as the last six months in Maia’s command had proved. Maia knew for a fact that the young woman from Tuscon had impressed even MacReady’s need for excellence. He said she was all right and Maia knew that from Mac, that was quite an endorsement.

"Get into the showers," Maia advised. "I need you people somewhat alert."

"Not a chance in hell." Quinn growled as he staggered past. Maia wondered if he knew that he was wearing his shirt inside out. Despite the apparent effects of hangover that they were all suffering from, Maia noticed that her smartgunner was extremely ornery even for this particular occasion. She wondered what might have caused such a thing since very little bothered Private Alex Quinn. She had seen him face aliens with little more than a sneer and hungry growl before he shot all of them to pieces. The huge blond man seemed to be affected by nothing until now.

Instinctively, Maia’s gaze shifted to Marin who was still standing at the door of the shuttle that had brought them here from gateway, engaged in a rather steamy kiss with Private Jaleel Washington. There was no doubt in her mind that Marin and Jaleel had been engaging in a little more than an all out drinking competition to celebrate the New Year. The duo seemed very friendly as they parted and headed towards Maia and Mac who exchanged a guilty glance. After all, considering what the Sergeant and herself had been up to the night before, neither could make any judgements on Marin’s dalliance with Jaleel.

Since the first day of his arrival into the squad, Jaleel had pursued Marin with a vengeance. While he never allowed his interest to effect his working relationship with her, Maia could tell that his infatuation with Marin was no passing thing. Maia had been around enough men in her life to know when one was completely enraptured by a woman. The private had launched himself vigorously as Marin’s direction, making every effort to court her as a woman. Wisely, Jaleel did not allow himself to be deterred by Marin’s natural aggression as a smartgunner and slowly the tough young woman found herself warming up to the young man’s advances. Last night was a culmination of a six-month campaign by Jaleel to win the hand of his lady fair and his victory no doubt contributed to Quinn’s ugly mood.

In comparison, Quinn and Jaleel were worlds apart, not just in physicality but also in their personalities. Quinn had treated Marin like his partner and best friend. If he saw her as a woman, he made no mention of it. However, Jaleel was very much aware of Marin’s femininity and he treated her like the most ardent suitor during their off duty hours together, indulging her with candle lit dinners and moonlights strolls. Things that Quinn in his even most sentimental state could not imagine doing.

Maia took note of the tension building between Jaleel and Quinn and realised now, as MacReady probably already had that eventually it would reach flashpoint. With the obvious intimacy between Marin and Jaleel, the two ranking Marines could see the confrontation between Quinn and Jaleel coming to a head very soon.

"Keep an eye on Quinn." Maia said quietly to MacReady.

The Sargeant nodded and replied just as softly. "You’re not fucking kidding."

The duo walked past them, still wrapped around each other, looking long enough to offer a greeting. "Hey Captain," Marin smiled as she moved her lips out of reach of Jaleel’s. "Have a good New Years?"

"Almost as good as what you had." Maia laughed as she flashed MacReady the barest hint of a smile. The Sargeant said nothing but his eyes spoke volumes. "Go and get cleaned up you too, debriefing in exactly one hour."

"One hour?" Private Benjamin Yugowa said sceptically as he walked past them towards. Yugowa had been smart enough to make an obligatory gesture of turning up to the party before disappearing to meet his girl friend who had a more private celebration in mind. Considering the state of his comrades, it was a decision he was most grateful for at this point. "You’re extremely optimistic, Captain." He chuckled.

Maia liked Yugowa. As their medtech, there was none finer. Yugowa had been a failed medical student who decided to defy the conventions of his family to join the Marines. She had read his file and knew that he no longer had contact with his rigid Japanese family who had never forgiven him for becoming a Marine. She felt saddened knowing that his family had shunned him, especially when Ben Yugowa was so likeable. Since his arrival, Maia knew that he had embraced his fellow Marines as his new family and when he was required to administer medical aide to any one of them, that feeling of warmth showed most profoundly.

"I live in hope Ben." Maia laughed.

"How was Chrissy?" MacReady asked, knowing that Yugowa had planned a big date with his girl to see out the New Year, since he had made a hasty departure from the party last night.

"She was terrific." Yugowa smiled. "We did Times Square and then we went back to her place after a late supper at a club. What about you, Sir?"

Maia suppressed a smile of her own as she saw MacReady wince at being called Sir. He could handle the title of Sargeant but she knew for a fact that anyone calling him Sir had a tendency to make his hair stand on end. Yugowa in particular had taken great delight in calling MacReady that, knowing just how much it raised the Sergeant’s ire. Maia think she liked Yugowa most by his ability to irritate Mac because in some ways, their quiet mannerism were not so different.

"Don’t call me Sir," MacReady grumbled unhappily before answering Yugowa’s question. "I had a quiet evening too." He replied, lying through his teeth because he and Maia were anything but quiet during their sexual marathon within the bedroom of officer country.

"Hey you need a hand?" Yugowa turned his attention to a small petite Brazillian woman who was trying very hard to prop an enormous Islander as they staggered out of the shuttle onto the deck.

"Yes actually." Assistant Pilot Carmen Lopez declared as she grunted to keep Private Temura Richards on his feet. Tem, as everyone had taken to calling him was almost six foot seven of enormous islander bulk. He towered over Quinn who used to be the tallest of them and had these enormous hands Maia was certain he used to wrestle bears in his youth. The giant had an equally grizzled temperament and it was not wise to upset him even though he understood the chain of command well enough and had no difficulty taking orders. However, when his temper flared, the only way to calm him was to shoot him with a tranquilliser dart and film the proceedings for National Geographic.

Even MacReady was spurred into action as he and Yugowa took hold of the behemoth from Lopez who was clearly out of breath and grateful for the relief. It required every ounce of her strength just to keep him from toppling her over. Maia had to admire Lopez’s endurance for this long. A lesser person would have let him drop.

"What the hell happened to him?" Maia asked, although a second later she thought the answer was quite obvious even without needing to hear Lopez’s explanation.

"He drank a keg of beer." Lopez replied.

"A keg of beer?" MacReady looked up and asked as he and Yugowa filed past the two women and headed towards the door. "That ain’t much." He pointed out. With Marines, a moderate drink was a keg of beer while a gas tanker full might be considered excessive.

"At a time." Lopez retorted.

The last thing Maia saw of MacReady as he filed out the door was his astonishment expression at that snippet of news.

"A keg of beer at a time?" Maia turned her gaze to the private almost horrified. "I definitely am being optimistic at seeing him up in an hour."

"Don’t worry," Lopez chuckled. "We’ll just have to keep in the shower for the next 30 minutes, under cold water of course."

"Of course." Maia said expecting nothing less. Lopez was very much the rookie unlike Tem who had been transferred to the group when the number of his former squad had dropped to necessitate re-posting. While Tem was the veteran, Lopez was the young novice who had come to the group as a pilot in training. Although their relationship was platonic, Tem had taken her under his wing. As he had once rumbled in that low gravelly voice of his when Maia asked, Tem had revealed that Lopez reminded him of a sister that was no longer alive. In some sense, Maia was glad at the friendship because she would hate to see anything happen to the bubbly young woman.

Lopez was exactly like the country of her origin, with dark wiry hair and exotic coloured skin. Although she was the rookie, she did not behave with reservation but exuded confidence when necessary. She had a tendency to ramble on sometimes but considering what Addison was capable of during his most excessive talking jags, Lopez was mild in comparison.

"Well get started," Maia prompted her to get a move on "We have been given a mission so I want to run you guys through a preliminary debriefing."

"Yes Sir." Lopez offered her a salute and a smile before hurrying out of the deck.

The last member of her team stepped out of the shuttle, looking as composed and in control as ever. Even though his eyes were bloodshot and he appeared to have had just a good a time as his fellow Marines during the celebrations the night before, Pilot Dimitri Petrov seemed to be suffering none of the hangovers that the rest of the team seemed to be enduring.

"Good morning captain." He said in that thick Russian accent.

"Hello Dimitri." Maia greeted. She knew her relationship with the Marines was more informal than military protocol would prefer however, she fought alongside these people in situations that required trust to be given. If she could not take some official frowning at her familiarity with them, then Maia Sanjay was not worth her mettle. She had faced worse in her life to let their disapproval bother her. "I did not see you at the party last night."

"I was in St Petersburg." He replied smoothly as they both started walking off of the deck. Having greeted the squad upon their return, Maia now looked forward to getting some breakfast at the mess. Although she seemed to think that she would be one of the few who could actually hold down food at this moment.

"All that vodka is bad for you." She pointed out.

"Its mothers milk." The man grinned. "They breast feed us Vodka when we are born."

"I’ll take your word for it." Maia laughed, unable to keep the image those words conjured up from her mind.

"So what it is the op?" He inquired. "Will there be wine, women and song?"

His question reminded her of what they would be facing when they arrived at their destination and suddenly, the humour drained out of the whole morning. She cared about these people, with all their quirks and personality traits. They were indeed like family and the idea of the aliens anywhere near them made Maia nervous. It was an expression that Dimitri caught in her eyes.

"That bad." He said sobering up immediately.

What an underestimation, Maia thought before answering. "No Dimitri, its worse."

Debriefings on the Sparta normally took place on the floor of the cargo bay. The tradition to hold mission briefings in the that place was so ingrained in Marine tradition that no one ever questioned who originated the idea in the first place. Whatever the reason for its initial inception, it was agreed that it seemed a somewhat appropriate practice for the rough and tumble world of the Colonial Marine Corps.

It took a little longer than an hour for the Marines to recover from their New Years Day celebration so that they could attend the meeting in any coherent form. In body anyway, all were present but as Maia stood before them as they were seated on crates or standing close by waiting for her to begin, she knew not all of them were there in spirit. Nevertheless the mood was still jovial, with jokes and humorous bantering being served back and forth. MacReady had made no mention of what he knew regarding their impending mission but then he was always one to obey protocol when it came to such things. His and Maia behaviour towards each other revealed nothing but a complete professional relationship. For their future together, that part of their life simply had to work or none of it would.

The atmosphere was so far cheerful. That was about to change.

"Welcome Marines," Maia addressed them. Most of her squad had showered and had changed out of their civilian clothing to be clad in a variations to the theme of their military uniform. Some were creative, others preferred to remain according to regulations. Maia did not mind and knew there was unspoken rule somewhere in regards to the dress code of the Colonial Marines that allowed for the individuality of their uniforms. "I am sorry to cut short your furlough but we apparently have been assigned something of a ‘hot potato’."

What an understatement, she thought to herself before continuing.

They were quiet as she expected them to be. The squad normally was well behaved because they knew that once the briefing was over, it was Maia’s habit to allow them the opportunity to voice any opinions or ask any questions. It was one of the things that made them so loyal to her because they knew their opinions mattered to their commanding officer. For some, that was a novelty unexperienced before assignment to this particular squad.

Maia tried to think of the best way to tell them and then decided that the truth was probably her best bet.

"We will be assigned to a binary star system for an indefinite period of time to form back of a planetary blockade."

She could see the puzzlement in their faces for such assignments really required pilots not Marines who in essence ground troops. A blockade required ships and to a Marine a ship was merely the vessel that moved them from assignment to assignment.

"Before you ask why we got this detail, I’ll tell you straight up. This is not just any blockade. We are responsible for the quarantine of a planet with extremely and I shit you not when I say this, an extremely hazardous form of life."

She saw the sudden shift in the features of Addison, Quinn and Marin when understanding or at least suspicion started to make itself known to them. With the exception of herself and MacReady, the three veterans were the only members of their squad to survive the Fiorina mission and even then, it had required her direct intervention to save their lives. Their eyes hardened as they stared at her intently, waiting for her to continue to disprove their suspicions. Maia wished she could oblige but she could not.

There was not a night since Fiorina where a soft sound in the dark, or slight scraping against steel in a corner she could not see would keep the normally detached and deliberate Captain Sanjay from breaking out into a cold sweat. Every time she saw an ant colony, she felt this unmistakable to smash it to pieces, to seek out the queen among the millions that ran through the tunnels, to destroy her as Maia had once had to destroy another like her. Only the scale had been much larger and infinitely more terrifying.

"There can be no allowing any one specimen off the planet. I have prepared information tapes for all of you which Foster will distribute later this afternoon. I expect you all to be fully versed in every aspect of it by the time we reach the planet." The tension in her voice was unmistakable and her Marines picked up on this immediately.

"We will maintain the blockade alone until the arrival of the Ronin and the Fury. This mission is absolutely top secret so there will be no discussing it outside off this ship even after this mission. This is by the o